Outsourcing

At the start of their journey, most inventors hope to manufacture their product in the United States, but as the women in The Right Sisters reveal, financial challenges often compel inventors to outsource the manufacture of their invention to a third part outside of the United States. I was one such person, and though I'm now finding ways to manufacture stateside, I have learned some important lessons about about outsourcing.

Most importantly, I learned that when you can't manufacture in the USA, you need to establish excellent relationships with the third party with whom you are working. The great distance as well as language barriers and cultural differences make this a challenging task. That's where networking comes to play.

I met Michelle Bonn through Big Fish Nation Nation, a business development program. Michelle is the owner of Expedient Trade, LLC, an international sourcing and manufacturing service company located in Buffalo, NY. Her expertise extends to international trade and manufacturing project management, so she was an excellent contact to help me negotiate some of the hurdles I faced while manufacturing in China.

I was drawn to Michelle's excitement, enthusiasm and drive as well as her expertise in the business of importing and manufacturing overseas. I was especially impressed by the fact she outsourced with women in third world countries--not to make money, but to help them to start businesses. I hired her to assist with outsourcing the manufacture of some of my new products.

Michelle's knowledge of importing and exporting and her relationships with customs was invaluable. When the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSIA) issued new laws, she found a qualified manufacturer to ensure that our products were constructed to be safe for kids. Michelle than helped KleenSlate secure the required Compliance Certificates. When I needed the advice of Chinese lawyers, she set up the communications. As our prototypes began to arrive for the new products, she listened to what needed to be changed and helped facilitate the necessary corrections. She understood that we wanted to be a leader in the dry erase industry and knew that meant delivering quality products to our customers.

Working with Michelle Bonn helped me build strong relationships with my manufacturing partners and underscored the value of surrounding myself with experts to help negotiate the intricacies of my inventor journey.